This is a simple and easy way to make Caldo Verde, one of the most popular soups in Portuguese cuisine. Caldo Verde combines the wonderful flavors of chouriço, collard greens, and potatoes to make a delicious and hearty soup that can be enjoyed at any time of the day. Try it out and tell us what you think!
Ingredients:
1/2 lbs. potatoes
3/4 cup collard greens or kale, sliced
1/4 cup olive oil
6 cups water
salt and pepper to taste
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves chopped
1/2 lbs. chouriço sausage
Directions:
1) Place the chopped potatoes, onions and crushed garlic into 6 cups of water and bring to a boil.
2) Simmer until the vegetables are tender. Drain the vegetables and retain the liquid.
3) Blend the vegetables and then return them to the liquid
4) Finally, add the sliced collard greens (or kale), olive oil, and the sliced chouriço.
5) Simmer until the collard greens (or kale) are tender, then add the salt and pepper to taste.
6) Mix it together well and serve.
)
Where do I buy the chourico sausage? Would a regular supermarket have it?
Unless you live in a an area with a large Portuguese community than it wouldn’t be likely to find at a supermarket. If you can find a Portuguese food store in your area than that would be my best guess. I am not sure about the quality of products online but you could try http://www.melloschourico.com/products.html
Love this soup but, technically, it’s made with collards, not kale. They’re very similar, but there is a difference. 🙂
My parents are born and raised Portuguese and it’s always been made with Kale. I’ve never heard of it being made with collards, ever.
Kale is for kale soup
Collards are used for caldo verde
There is a difference actually
There are many diffferent types of leafy greens called “couve” in Portugal. However they are distiguished by add’l name such as couve lombarda, couve penca, couve alta, etc. I can see it may be confusing…but never ever is kale used for caldo verde.
Thanks…I’ve always used them interchangeably… I’ve made kale soup using collards and thought it was great. Will be making the caldo Verde with collards though.
YES, BORN AND RAISE IN THE NORTH OF PORTUGAL, NOW LIVE IN A LARGE PORTUGUESE COMMUNITY, WHERE WE ALL HAVE USED COLLARD GREENS FOR THE CALDO VERDE…. YES KALE IS USED FOR OTHER DISHES
As long as it’s verde I think it should work and any sausage will work also as long as it fills the gut. Make sure you do a final taste before you turn the heat off so you’ll know if it tastes good. If you want to make it traditional that’s another story. It’s not rocket science with soup, be creative with what you have without having to go shopping specifically.
I’m not Portuguese, but i cook and love the food. I fry my onions in a little olive oil and add one chicken cube then I add my water and potatoes,let it cook till potatoes are soft,cook my sausage in another pan( sliced) empty my broth in a separate bowl, blend my potatoes and re add the broth. I put it on the stove again low add my cooked sausage and collards and cook till done. I find if you fry the onions a little it gives it more flavour than if you just put everything together.
When I was in Porto I fell in love with Caldo Verde. A few weeks ago it came across my Pinterest feed and I knew I had to make it for Eat Drink Pin (www.eatdrinkpin.wordpress.com). I had to make a few adjustments to make it work in my kitchen in Galicia, Portugal, but it was still as delicious as I remember. It brought me right back to the shores of the Douro. Thank your for sharing. If you are interested check out my version here: https://eatdrinkpin.wordpress.com/2016/03/30/green-soup-goodness/
To Donna, if you live in South Florida try looking for the chourico in Publix Markets. The sell the brand that I like from Rhode Island.
I cook pork soup bones with the potatoes to give the broth added flavour. I use finely shredded kale or Portuguese couves and they are both delicious. There are so many kinds of cabbage that I am not sure what collard greens really are…..
you can buy Gaspar’s linguica and chourico at Publix, but if you can’t find it you can purchase it from the Gaspar’s website
I’ve always known caldo verde to be made with a very particular type of green called couve galega. Thats what my mother would always grow and use in her caldo verde. I suppose its heartier and of a diffrent texture than what we consider kale here in the states but I think the misconception of it being kale just comes from how we describe it to our non portuguese friends as being “kale soup”. If you dont have this type of green where you are from then i would def use collards